Questions to Ask Yourself Before an Interview
For job candidates getting ready in the days, the evening and the last hour before an interview, these are the questions to put to yourself before anyone else puts them to you. They follow the order preparation tends to go in: why you want this job, what you know about the employer and the role, the stories that show you fit, the weak spots you will be asked about, pay and your limits, and the day itself, including what you need to find out from them.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Why this job
Why do I want this job, and not just a job?
Why ask it
A strong answer names something in the work itself: a problem you like solving, a kind of customer, a skill you would use every day. If all you can list is the pay, the commute or getting out of where you are, that is worth knowing about yourself. Find one true thing about the work before you walk in, because you should expect some version of this question.
Why this employer and not one of its competitors?
Why ask it
Test your answer by swapping in a rival's name. If the sentence still works, it is not an answer yet. One specific thing is enough: a product you have used, the way they treated you as a customer, a project of theirs you followed.
Why am I leaving where I am now, and can I say it in two calm sentences?
Why ask it
The version that works in a room looks forward: what you want more of, not who made the last year miserable. Say it aloud and listen to your own tone. The same test applies to a job you have already left. If the real reason is one you would carry into any workplace, a new employer will not fix it, and tonight is a better time to learn that than month three.
Where do I want this job to lead in three to five years?
Why ask it
Interviewers ask this to learn whether the role makes sense for you, not to hold you to a plan. A direction the job plausibly feeds is enough: deeper skill, a wider territory, a first team to run. If your honest answer is a different field altogether, work out a true sentence about what you want from the next few years here.
If they offered it to me tomorrow, would I say yes?
Why ask it
A fast yes means the interview is mostly about earning the offer. 'It depends' is the more useful answer: write down what it depends on, because that list becomes your questions for the interviewer. A fast no deserves a second look at why you are going. Practice is a fair reason, as long as you know that is what it is.
What kind of manager and team do I do my best work with?
Why ask it
Think of the best boss you have had and the worst, and name what each one did: how often they checked in, how they delivered bad news, how much they left to you. That gives you a true answer when they ask what management style suits you, and a description to hold the person across the table against. 'I can work with anyone' tells them nothing and tells you less.
How much do I want this one compared with the other jobs I am chasing?
Why ask it
Rank it honestly. A first choice earns a full evening of preparation, and a long shot can be a rehearsal you learn from. You may also be asked whether you are interviewing elsewhere, so decide now how much you will say. 'I am talking to a couple of other companies, and this is the role I am most interested in' only works if it is true.
The research
Can I explain what this employer does, and who pays for it, in two sentences?
Why ask it
Try it aloud on someone outside the industry. If they follow, you understand it. If you catch yourself reciting the About page, keep reading until you can say where the money comes from: who the customers are and what they buy. For a public body or a charity, the same test is who funds it and who it serves.
What has changed for them in the last year?
Why ask it
Look for a launch, a new leader, a merger, a round of hiring or of layoffs, a new site. Their own news page and one search will usually turn something up. A single recent fact, mentioned once and naturally, shows you looked. Bad news is not a reason to cancel, only something to ask about calmly near the end.
Which three things does the posting ask for most?
Why ask it
Postings repeat what matters, so look at the title, the first few lines and anything that appears twice. Those three are what your answers should keep pointing back to. When the posting is a long flat list with no order, make 'which of these matters most?' one of your first questions in the room.
Which lines of the job description do I not really understand?
Why ask it
It might be a tool you have not used, an acronym, or a duty so vague it could mean anything. Look up what you can. For whatever is left, plan to ask, since 'I have not used that, and the closest thing I know is this' lands far better than a bluff that falls apart on the second question.
What would an ordinary Tuesday in this job consist of?
Why ask it
Write the day out from the posting: who you would talk to, what you would produce, how much is your own work and how much is other people's requests. The blank spots are normal and make good questions. If the day you have written is one you would dread, notice that now.
What exactly did I send them, and can I talk about every line of it?
Why ask it
Reread the resume, the cover letter and any application answers in the version this employer has, which may not be your latest. Anything on those pages is fair to ask about, including the software you listed from a job three roles back. For a line you could not talk about for a minute, practice it or be ready to say how long ago it was.
Who is interviewing me, and what does each of them need to hear?
Why ask it
If nobody has told you, ask the person who scheduled it for names and job titles. A recruiter is checking fit and pay, a manager wants their problem solved, and a future peer wants someone they could work beside. Their public work profile is fair to read for role and time at the company. Stop there.
What kind of interview is this, and what will I be asked to do in it?
Why ask it
A phone screen, a panel, a case, a skills test and a presentation each need a different evening of practice. Asking whoever booked it about the format, the length and who will attend is an ordinary request. Skipping it risks rehearsing stories for what turns out to be a practical exercise.
If this is not the first round, what did the earlier ones tell me?
Why ask it
Go back to your notes from each earlier conversation: what they kept returning to, where your answer was thin, anything you promised to send. A later round is a chance to fix the thin answer and to make the point you did not get to last time. Before a first interview, skip this one.
What do people who have worked there say, and how far do I trust it?
Why ask it
Review sites collect the very happy and the very annoyed, so look for a theme that repeats across years instead of one vivid post. Someone you know who has worked there is worth ten reviews. Turn a repeated complaint into a neutral question, such as how the team handles its busiest stretch.
My stories
How will I answer 'tell me about yourself' in about a minute?
Why ask it
A shape that works is what you do now, the one or two things behind you that matter for this job, and why you are here. Time it. The worrying version starts at your first job and is still going three minutes later. End on the line about this role, so the interviewer's next question comes easily.
Which five or six stories prove I can do this job?
Why ask it
A story has a situation, what you did, and what came of it. Five or six cover most 'tell me about a time' questions, because one story can answer several. Write a line for each on a single page. If you run out at two, look at school, volunteering and side work, which count when the story is specific.
For each thing the posting asks for most, which example shows I have it?
Why ask it
Put the requirements in one column and your evidence in the next. A full row gives you an answer you can reach for without thinking. An empty row is a gap you have found at home and not across the table, and it goes on your list of weak spots to prepare.
Which three strengths would I name for this job, and what is my proof for each?
Why ask it
Take them from what the posting needs most, and give each one a moment somebody else could have witnessed. Then say them the way you would to a friend: 'I am the one people hand the messy spreadsheet to' stays with an interviewer, and 'results-driven team player' does not. A strength you cannot find an example for is the wrong one to name.
What is the result I am proudest of, and can I put a figure or a before-and-after on it?
Why ask it
The figure does not have to be money. Hours saved, people trained, complaints that stopped, a deadline met with a smaller team all work. If you never had the number, describe what was true before and what was true after. Do not round up or guess, because the follow-up question is usually 'how did you measure that?'
When did something go wrong on my watch, and what did I do next?
Why ask it
This is your answer to the failure question. Choose a real mistake of moderate size, own it in one sentence, and spend the rest on the repair and what you changed afterward. Two versions worry interviewers: the one where the fault was somebody else's, and the success dressed up as a failure.
When did I disagree with a boss or a coworker, and how did it end?
Why ask it
Pick a disagreement where the other person had a reasonable point, and check that you can state their side fairly. That fairness is most of what the interviewer is listening for. If you still sound annoyed when you tell it aloud, choose a different story.
In each story, what did I do, as opposed to what the team did?
Why ask it
Read your notes and circle every 'we'. The interviewer is hiring one person and needs to know what you decided, built or said. Give the team its credit in a line, then be exact about your part. If your part turns out to be small, swap the story for one where it was not.
What can I offer that most other candidates for this job probably cannot?
Why ask it
This is the honest core of 'why should we hire you?' It is seldom a single rare skill and more often a pairing: you know the industry and you can write, or you are technical and customers like you. Stuck? Ask someone who has worked with you what they would miss if you left.
Weak spots
Which question am I most hoping they will not ask?
Why ask it
That is the one to prepare first. Write it down and answer it aloud three times. It is usually about a gap, a short stay, a job that ended badly or a skill you lack. Two steady sentences are enough, and having them tends to settle you for the rest of the interview as well.
What will I say when they ask about my biggest weakness?
Why ask it
Name a real one that is not the heart of this job, and say what you do about it. 'I work too hard' is heard as a dodge. The other mistake is honesty without judgment, such as telling a team that needs a careful proofreader that details bore you.
Which requirement do I not meet, and what is the closest thing I do have?
Why ask it
The answer that holds up says plainly that you have not done it, names the nearest experience, and says how you would close the distance. Where the missing piece is a license, a certificate or a clearance, check with the recruiter before the interview whether it rules you out.
What on my resume will a stranger want explained?
Why ask it
Read it as someone who has never met you: a gap between jobs, a stay of a few months, a change of field, a step down in title. Give each one true sentence, then move to what you did next. You do not owe private detail. 'I took time out for family reasons and have been ready to return since spring' is a complete answer.
If I was let go or left on bad terms, what is my short, true account of it?
Why ask it
Keep it brief and factual, with no blame and one line on what you took from it. Do not invent a different ending, since a reference call can contradict you. What a former employer will confirm differs by employer and by place, so if this worries you, find out how references work where you are. Skip this one if it does not apply.
What would my last manager say about me, the good and the less good?
Why ask it
Interviewers ask this in those words, and some will go on to call that manager. Your last review is the best source if you have one. A believable answer includes one criticism you have acted on. While you are here, check that the people you would give as references know a call may come.
Do I look overqualified, underqualified or new to the field, and what doubt does that raise?
Why ask it
Each has its own worry: that you will be bored and leave, that you will need carrying, or that you do not know what the work is really like. Work out which one applies and answer it before anyone has to raise it. A sentence is enough, such as why a smaller role is what you want at this point.
What do I do when I get nervous, and what will I do instead?
Why ask it
Most people have one habit: talking fast, rambling, going blank or joking. Pick a single counter and rehearse it, such as a breath before each answer or asking for the question again. 'Let me think about that for a moment' is a perfectly good sentence, and the pause usually feels longer to you than it does to them.
What will I do when they ask something I cannot answer?
Why ask it
Decide now, because it will happen. For a knowledge question, say what you do know and how you would find the rest. For a 'time when' you have never had, say so and offer the nearest situation. The answer to avoid is a confident guess, which costs more than the gap would have.
What would an employer find if they searched my name tonight?
Why ask it
Search yourself in a private window and see. Check that the dates and titles on your professional profile match your resume, since a mismatch reads as carelessness at best. Whether an employer looks, and how, differs from one to the next, so tidy anything public you would not want read back to you.
Pay and limits
What pay would I be glad to accept, and what is the lowest figure I would take?
Why ask it
Work out both numbers before anyone asks: one from what similar jobs are paying where you live, the other from what your month costs. Posted ranges, salary sites and people in the field are the sources. Without a floor you tend to agree to the first figure you hear. Keep the floor to yourself.
What exactly will I say if they ask what salary I expect?
Why ask it
Choose the words in advance. You can give a range whose bottom you would be content with, or ask what has been budgeted for the role. Rules on posting pay ranges, and on whether an employer may ask what you earn now, differ from place to place, so look up how it works where you live.
What would make me turn this job down even at a good salary?
Why ask it
Write the list: the commute, the travel, the shifts, the weekends, the number of days on site, a kind of work you will not do again. Three real ones is plenty. A page of dealbreakers usually means you do not want the job, and an empty page is how people accept something they leave within the year.
What do I need the hours, the location and the flexibility to be?
Why ask it
A school pickup, a second job, a class, someone you care for: you need to know your own answer even if you never explain the reason. When to raise it is a judgment call. A fixed limit that would make the job impossible is better said before a final round than discovered after an offer.
When could I start, and what do I have to give notice on?
Why ask it
Read your own contract or handbook for the notice period, and note anything you would lose by leaving early, such as a bonus that has not paid out yet, along with any time off already booked. Notice terms depend on the contract and the place, so check yours and do not go by what a friend had. A date with a reason behind it sounds organized.
Is there anything I would need from this employer to take the job, and when will I bring it up?
Why ask it
Sponsorship for a visa, help with a move, an adjustment to how or where you work, or equipment would all go here. How these are handled depends on the employer and on the rules where you are, so ask the recruiter how the process works there. Knowing your list now is what stops you saying yes and finding out later.
Which answer from them would change my mind about this job?
Why ask it
Go back over your hesitations and dealbreakers and find the one the posting leaves open: the travel, the on-call schedule, who you would report to. Ask about that first when your turn comes, since the time for it is often short. Decide tonight which reply would be a no, because a friendly interviewer can make almost any reply sound acceptable.
The day
Where exactly am I going, or which link am I using, and when do I have to leave?
Why ask it
Check the address, the entrance, the parking or the route, and the name to give at the desk. Plan to be nearby early and to walk in about ten minutes ahead. For a video call, test the link, camera and microphone on the device you will use, and keep a phone number handy for when the connection fails.
What am I wearing, and is it clean and ready tonight?
Why ask it
A step dressier than what people there wear on a normal day is a common rule of thumb. Their own photos show what that is, or you can ask the recruiter. Try it on the evening before: a missing button is a small problem at nine at night and a large one at eight in the morning.
What am I bringing with me?
Why ask it
The usual list is a few printed copies of your resume, your questions on paper, a pen, the interviewers' names, and any ID the building asks for. Add work samples where the job calls for them. On video, put your notes beside the screen and have water and a charger within reach.
How will I spend the last hour before it starts?
Why ask it
Not learning anything new. Read your story page and your three points once, eat something, and put the notes away. Last-minute cramming of company facts tends to crowd out the examples you already know well, and those examples are what you will be asked for.
What are the three things I want them to remember about me?
Why ask it
An interviewer seeing several people in a day keeps only a little of each. Choose three points, such as a skill, a result and your reason for wanting the job, and find a place for each in your answers. 'Is there anything else you would like us to know?' is your opening for whichever one you have not yet said.
Which questions will I ask them, and who is the right person for each?
Why ask it
Bring five or so, because some will be answered before your turn. The manager knows what the job is judged on, future peers know what a week is like, and the recruiter knows the process and the pay range. 'No, I think that is everything' is the one reply that wastes the turn.
What would I need to see in the room to believe this is a good place to work?
Why ask it
Decide on your signs beforehand: interviewers who have read your resume, a start that is on time, a plain answer when you ask what is hard about the job, a respectful word about whoever held it last. Likeable people are easy to agree with, and a list written in advance gives you something to check them against afterward.
How will I close, and what do I need to know about what happens next?
Why ask it
Ask what the next step is, when you should expect to hear, and who to contact with a question. Then you know when silence means something and when it is only the calendar. Get the spelling of each name before you leave, for the thank-you note.
What will I write down in the first ten minutes after I leave?
Why ask it
Note the questions they asked, the one you fumbled, what they said about the role and anything that gave you pause. Those notes feed the thank-you message, the next round, and the decision if an offer comes. Do it before you check your phone, while you still remember their exact words.
How to use these questions before your interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
In the days before
Start with the first three groups
Why this job, The research and My stories take the longest and improve most with a night's sleep between passes. Give them an evening two or three days out if you have that long. With only one evening, answer the first question in each group and then go straight to Weak spots.
Write the answers down, briefly
A question answered in your head feels finished when it is not. One or two written lines for each is enough. Aim for a single page you can read in five minutes on the day: your reasons, your stories by name, your numbers on pay and your questions for them.
Say the important ones aloud
The answers on why you want the job, why you are leaving, your weakness and the question you are dreading need to be heard as well as written. Record yourself on your phone or say them to a friend. You are checking for length and tone, not learning a script, and anything that runs past two minutes needs its setup cut.
Ask what you are allowed to ask
The person who arranged the interview can usually tell you the format, how long it runs, who will be there and whether there is a task. Those answers change how you prepare more than another hour of reading about the company would.
Let an empty answer send you somewhere
If you cannot say what the company does, read more. If a requirement has no example beside it, look for one in older jobs or outside work. If you cannot say why you want the job, that is not a preparation problem, and it is fair to spend the interview finding out whether you do.
The night before and the hour before
Finish Pay and limits tonight
Questions about salary, start date and availability can arrive in the first ten minutes of a first call. Have your two pay figures, your earliest start date and your fixed limits settled before you sleep, so none of them is decided on the spot.
Do everything under The day while you can still fix it
Route, link, clothes and printed copies are all easy in the evening and stressful in the morning. Run the video link on the device you will use. Lay out what you are wearing. Put the page of notes and the list of names where you cannot leave without them.
Stop preparing an hour out
In the last hour, read your one page once and close it. Go over the first line of your 'tell me about yourself' answer, since a clean start settles the rest. Then do something ordinary: walk, eat, look out of the window.
Choose the questions you will ask them
From your list under The day, mark the two or three questions for the interviewer that matter most to your decision and put them at the top of the page. If the interview runs short, you will have asked the ones that could change your mind.
Using your answers in the room
Answer the question that was asked
Prepared stories are tempting to unload whole. Listen to the question first, pick the story that fits, and tell the part of it that answers. A good story told in reply to the wrong question counts against you.
Bring the page, and use it openly
Many interviewers are comfortable with a candidate who has notes, and glancing down to ask a question usually reads as prepared. Keep it to one page and do not read answers from it. If you are unsure whether notes are welcome, in a skills test or a recorded video interview for example, ask at the start.
Check your guesses
Much of your research is inference from a posting. Early on, test the main one: 'From the posting, it sounds as if the priority is this. Is that right?' The reply tells you which stories to lead with for the rest of the conversation.
Keep listening for your own answers
You came with things you needed to find out. As the interviewer talks, tick off what gets answered and notice what does not. An interview where you learned nothing you needed is a reason to ask for a follow-up call before deciding.
Mistakes to avoid
Memorizing word for word
A recited answer sounds recited, and one unexpected follow-up knocks it over. Learn the points and the order, and let the sentences come out a little differently each time.
Preparing only the comfortable parts
It is pleasant to polish the story you tell well and avoid the gap on your resume. The time is better spent the other way around: open each session with Weak spots, and leave the stories you already tell well for last.
Treating it as a one-way test
Why this job and Pay and limits are about whether the job suits you, not whether you suit it. Candidates who prepare only to be chosen sometimes get an offer for work they would not have picked, and find out in the second month.
Stretching the truth to fill a gap
An honest 'I have not done that yet' with a nearby example is a normal part of most interviews. An inflated claim has to survive follow-up questions, a reference call and, if it works, the job itself.